"Barely Controlled Chaos" is about my life, it's tendency to careen out of control, and how I manage to survive with the help of good friends and family.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Big "O"...otherwise known as Sunday

Me and the campfire...see Dad? I really needed that hoodie sweatshirt you sent me!Walking the art fair that lined the church yard.

It's 11 o'clock and we are disconnecting the RV...FINALLY we are actually only minutes from arriving at our destination...the Georgia O'Keefe museum! We do the fiddle with the air filter maneuver to start and we're off! The gal in the RV camp office showed Mel where we could park the RV in downtown Santa Fe and then walk to the museum.

Interesting enough we encounter Bobcat Crossing signs on the road. I did not see any, but I could see why the sign was there...perfect Bobcat territory!

We arrived at the RV parking area which is behind the Basillica De Francis de Assissi (the garden saint) and parked under a tree, closed the curtains, gathered our stuff, including the wheelchair and were off!

I actually used the wheelchair as a shopping cart, holding all our various bags, bottles of water, etc. Santa Fe is supposedly the oldest town in the United States and the cobblestones and narrow sidewalks make riding in the chair a nightmare! I tried it, only to literally jump out and refuse to be pushed until I hollered "uncle"...talk about rough! The walk felt good.

After much map turning and silent bickering (one should have only one navigator) we finally found the museum. As we entered Susan stood me in front of the exhibit poster and started taking pictures! This was a big No No! There were signs posted: No photographs, cell phone usage, etc. The guard approached and told her to stop and delete the photos-she did not, she quickly snapped another and shoved her camera deep down in her bag-the guard (who was only doing his job) continued his No No mantra and I guess because I looked like I was about to cry (and I so seriously was) he backed off and started talking into his walky talky thing...we get in line and get our tickets (he's still talking) I can just hear him "group of four; one baldy in wheelchair, has cane-possible weapon, one with big bag that won't listen, one beautiful woman with short, short hair, one teen who has a texting problem about to enter museum...BEWARE!!

Yes! We were constantly followed throughout the exhibit and gift shop! But we had met our goal and I was somewhat satisfied...with the largest collection of O'Keefe paintings, I expected floors of art work...this exhibit, while incredible, was not exactly what I had expected. It was an exhibit of Georgia O'Keefe and Ansel Adams...I love them both and the display of each of their work was well worth the trip...but somehow I had it in my mind that I would see more of a collective display of her work...like the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam (one of my favorites). I am in no way complaining here...I just craved MORE!

I bought Jay's kids a non-fiction book in the gift shop, and called it done.

We stopped and asked a vendor where we could eat that was casual but tasty...she sent us to the Burrito Factory (I may be wrong on the exact name) It was fantabulous!! I had been having "taste" problems the entire trip and was very happy with my veggie burrito!

Back in the RV (we never really decided on a name for the hotel on wheels) we headed back to the campsite, built a camp fire, and roasted marshmallows!

A beautiful ending to a beautiful day!

At some point before bed, Mel and Susan had the road Atlas out again and surprised me by telling me that we were going to Ghost Ranch! I was excited...to see what she saw, walked, painted...her beloved ranch! Goosebumps! So, I went to bed very hyper and very much looking forward to the morning!

1 comment:

I'm loving following along with your road trip...It sounds like a lot of fun~! New Mexico is very beautiful, that's for sure. We think about you always...miss you. Let us know if you'll be in our neighborhood. It's green and lovely here.

Clay Pots

About Me

I am 52 years old. I've been a mother since I was sixteen. A grandmother since 30-something. I live in a log house, ten miles outside a small town nestled in the foothills of the Oregon Cascades. I work hard at trying to decrease my carbon imprint on this world, while also working hard to leave my soul imprint.